Soul Pirates - Sneak Peek
by Kalseru-dono
Summary: Karin must attend a meeting with the Captains of the Gotei 13 Pirates to watch over Urahara for Yoruichi. But along the way, Karin runs into a group of troublemakers seeking a fight. As usual. Oh goodie.


**Hello reader. This fanfic, as is obvious due to the title, is only a sneak peek of the fanfic that I intend to work on. This will eventually become a whole story.**

**I just want to get people's thoughts and opinions on my idea for the theme and my writing style. Often times I get too descriptive on things that are just...things. I don't know.**

**BUT-if any of you little crazy bean curds steal my frickin' idea, ANY OF IT ( I mean for goodness' sake people. Just because it's a fanfic website that doesn't mean plagiarizing is legal or any less shameful. Gosh. ) I'll stab you with my Sode no Shirayuki cosplay sword...not that have one. Seriously, I wish I did.**

**Anyway. What I'm saying is that if I suddenly start seeing people writing shizz about Bleach characters being pirates, ( I read almost all of the Bleach fanfics by the way. Hah. Just to let you know. ) I will be **_**very**_** irate.**

**So...I guess you should start reading now...OH YEAH! I almost forgot.**

**Ahem. -Clears throat- ... -Raises a finger...then clears throat again- ... -Grabs a microphone, taps it, opens mouth, seemingly about to speak, then suddenly bolts up from chair and does a backflip off the table, then runs to a nearby window and crashes through, falling from a 50 story high building, rips off my clothes to expose my wingsuit underneath and flies into my house, runs up the stairs...runs back down and punches a hole through my fridge to get some slices of watermelon, runs back upstairs...then runs back down again to get some chips, goes to the bottom of the stairway, already tired- ... "Aw screw this." -Goes into an Ironman suit and blasts a hole into the ceiling, flies up into my bedroom, turns on my laptop and goes on , types in "Ahem. -Clears throat..." Whoa. WHOA. INCEPTION. Dun dun duuun. What was I saying? Oh yeah.**

**Aheeem. I do not own Bleach. Is my name Tite Kubo? No. Would Tite Kubo have to go on a fanfic website just to write about Bleach shizz? ...Maybe.**

**Huh? Why're you still reading this? Just-just read already!**

**Soul Pirates**

Karin weaved her way silently through the heavily crowded streets, dodging people, carts, horses, anything that got in her way. She ducked under a woman holding a pile of laundry in her arms, darted around a man carrying several parcels of food, and ignored the several shouts and curses aimed her way, or where people thought she went, as she was too quick to be spotted as she slipped deeper into the crowd.

After all, she wanted to be early, and this rush hour didn't help at all. Karin contemplated using the roofs instead of the streets. She shook her head. No, she would be too conspicuous. Too many eyes around here. It wouldn't do to make a scene.

Karin sighed. Why would pirates want to meet up in the middle of the day anyway? Wouldn't they all be too noticeable in the day? She went over the thought again and again. Something didn't seem right.

_Karin perched herself on the railing on the bow of the ship, letting the salty air blow through her hair, and the splashes of cold sea water dot her clothes with moisture. It was these moments that she treasured, having a small pocket of time to herself, as it was always rowdy and sociable on the ship with the crew._

_It's not that she didn't like the crew, but when she's always surrounded by people, times when she's alone are truly special._

_She breathed in the salty, fishy air again. She closed her eyes, and even smiled a bit. They had recently docked, and the others were restocking supplies and buying whatever they needed or wanted in the town. She could hear sailors from other nearby ships bustsling about, shouting out orders, loading crates and barrels onto the decks of their vessels. Sea gulls raucously shrieked as they dove to eye the goods in the open for any easy pickings. Even the annoying birds could not rouse the raven-haired lass. Not when there were the waves that crashed against the side of the hull, making the ship ride the crests of the waves. The movement was known to cause seasickness to first-time sailors. To Karin, it was home._

_"Karin-chan? Kaaarin-chaaaan?"_

_Karin opened her eyes to see a delicate hand waving before her face. She looked over her shoulder to see the owner of the hand, her twin sister Yuzu. Karin can't help but think that if it were anyone else interrupting her alone time, she wouldn't hesitate to reprimand them with a swift punch under the chin or a kick to the side. Yuzu however..._

_"What is it, Yuzu?"_

_Yuzu had withdrawn her hand and had placed both on her hips and leaned forward toward Karin's face. "Mou, Karin-chan. Don't you know where we are?"_

_"...Enlighten me."_

_Yuzu pouted for a second, then burst out into a bright grin, enthusiastically spreading her arms. "We're in Seireitei, silly! We're in the greatest pirate town in history!"_

_Karin raised an eyebrow. "Yes, and?"_

_Her twin blinked. "Don't you want to go explore, see the town? Think of all the adventures we can have here!"_

_Yuzu clapped her hands and jumped up and down in place._

_Karin rolled her eyes and smiled at her sister's innocence. "Yuzu, the only adventures that I have, and I don't even choose them, are when I'm just walking through the streets, minding my own business, when a group of men just come out and try to jump me, thinking I'm an easy target. Plus, all these towns are pretty much the same. Just with a different setting and place on land."_

_Yuzu pushed out her bottom lip. "Mou, Karin-chan's lost her sense of adventure."_

_Karin felt her eye twitch. "No I haven't!"_

_"Oops! I said that out loud? Uh, forget I said anything!"_

_Karin looked at her sister through half-lidded eyes. "Is that what you wanted to tell me?"_

_"Huh? Oh. Oh! That reminds me." Yuzu put a finger to her lip. "Yoruichi-taichou wants you to attend the Gotei 13 Pirates' meeting with Urahara-taichou. She says he'll need a babysitter or something."_

_"Hm? Why aren't Jinta and Ururu going?"_

_"Oh. Yoruichi-taichou went into town. She said she had business to take care of. She put Jinta-kun and Ururu-chan in charge of watching the ship."_

_"Why didn't she just send them with Urahara-san? They're _his _deck hands."_

_"Yoruichi-taichou told me to tell you that she trusted you to make sure Urahara-taichou didn't step out of line. She said you were the only one, other than her, who was capable of doing so."_

_Karin flashed her white teeth. "I guess I have no choice then."_

_Yuzu laughed. "Nope!"_

_"When and where?"_

_"At the 1st Division Captain's building. Tomorrow afternoon."_

_Karin's eyebrows pulled together. "Afternoon? Not midnight or early morning?That's a little strange. I would think these pirates would prefer not to be seen, even if they may be skilled enough to traverse the town undetected."_

_Yuzu looked at her with wide eyes. "Well, that's what I was told anyway, but you can always come earlier."_

_Karin sighed. "These pirates are like none I've ever come across."_

_Yuzu smiled. "Of course! They're the most elite out there! I heard that Yoruichi-taichou and Urahara-taichou were once a part of the Gotei 13 Pirates. Isn't that amazing?"_

_"Yuzu, I can hardly be amazed after you'd told me that for five days straight after you found out."_

_"I know, but...isn't it amazing?!"_

Karin smiled at the recent memory, so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't notice the tough-looking, burly man in front of her. She gave out an "oof" as she collided, face first, into his chest. She quickly recovered her footing and jumped back. Her honed reflexes allowed her to keep on her feet. She looked for the man she had bumped into, and saw that he was not so fortunate. He was sprawled out on the ground. The mug of ale that was in one if his hands had spilled over him. His now damp braided beard stuck to his neck.

Karin felt something shove her from behind and let herself fall forward for a few slow-moving seconds before she pivotted and dropped into her fighting stance. She saw a man in the space where she had been. His upper lip curled as he looked at her, showing his yellowed teeth. He wore a bandana on his head. Behind him were several, similar looking men, cracking their knuckles, rolling their heads and shoulders, looking like they were getting ready for a fight. The townpeople walked around Karin and her offenders, determined not to get involved, though they didn't bother to hide their curious or wary stares.

Bandana-man spoke and pointed behind her. "You d'one dat messed wit ol' Bo, here?"

Karin turned her head a little, keeping Bandana-man in the corner of her vision and, at the same time, glancing behind her to see the man she had knocked down stand up. She turned back to Bandana-man, staying silent. He opened his mouth to speak, but Karin had already shot down the street.

Karin cursed under her breath. She told Yuzu that she always encountered troublesome, idiotic men and their posse's in every pirate town. Well, in pretty much every town. For some reason, she just attracted unwanted attention. It was annoying.

Karin looked over her shoulder as she ran and saw the group of men giving chase. She looked forward and cursed again. She could easily take them on and knock them all out, but there were too many people here. The commotion a fight would cause would be too big. Too taxing. But...running didn't seem to be doing any good for her as well. She encountered the same problem. Too many people in her way. While Karin continued to avoid all the civilians that crossed her path - to do so she had to twist her flexible body in many uncomfortable ways - the men behind her just shoved people left and right, easily making their way through the crowd, and no one tried to stop them, too afraid for their safety.

Karin growled. At least she was heading in the right direction toward the meeting. She could see that she was around the designated building. The setting was exactly what Yuzu had described. She felt a hand roughly grab her shoulder. She twisted around and struck the wrist from below, sending it flying off of her, but before it could get too far, she caught it, pivoted, and flipped the offender over her shoulder, letting him crash into a pile of sacks of potatoes.

_Oh well, _Karin thought as she shot off toward a fairly large-sized, nearby building, _I couldn't avoid a confrontation, but at least I can contain it._

Karin heard a set of heavy footstep becoming louder, which meant that one, they were out of the crowd since she could discern the singular sound, and two, he was getting closer. Just as the man launched himself at her, Karin darted to the right, rolling neatly to her feet. She reached the door of the building she was aiming for just as another man tackled her from behind, making them crash through the heavy wooden doors and onto the smooth wooden floors of the building. Pieces of wood from the doors slid with them across the floor.

Karin heard people stand up and shout, their clothes ruffling, around the building, but no matter. She could deal with them later. She kicked the man that had tackled her off of her and sent him crashing to the opposite wall. She flipped around and got on one knee, both hands on the floor, and lunged at a man that was coming for her straight on. She jumped and placed a hand on his shoulder, let her momentum bring her body into a perpendicular position to the ground, her toes pointing to the ceiling, and landed behind the man just as he reached for the area where she had been. She dropped to the floor and swept the man's legs from under him with one of her own then got to her feet and whirled around, just in time to see a punch aimed at her face. She ducked and grabbed the man's wrist from below and jerked his arm so his shoulder dislocated.

Karin pushed the man's body, which obstructed her view, away from her to see two men taking out their pistols. She reached for her own. Her right hand went to her left hip, left hand to her right hip, and pulled out her twin miniature pistols, powerful enough to cause pain and possibly a serious injury depending on the area of the body that was shot, but not enough to kill. Perfect for her. Before either of the men could even draw their own guns, she shot one, a man that had placed himself against a wall, exactly an inch below his most private and treasured area, gouging a neat hole in the wall between his legs, and shot the other man's hat off his head. Both men paled, turned and ran.

Karin twirled her guns, still smoking, in her hands, then slid them back into their sheathes on her top-most belt. Just as she heard the cock of a gun, she withdrew a throwing knife from within one of her mid-thigh-high boots and threw it into the nozzle of a gun aimed right at her. The wielder, his eyes widened, had already pressed the trigger before he could stop himself, resulting in the bullet backfiring, the force knocking him backwards against a wall, his head colliding with the hard surface, knocking him unconscious while Karin's throwing knife flew back at her. Just as it was about to fly over her shoulder, she caught it in mid-air, scoffing at the man's bad aim. She twirled the blade in her hand before slipping it back into her boot and dusted the dirt from the road off her shoulder.

Karin slowly stretched her arms above her head, as she didn't have the chance to even warm herself up before the action, when she heard someone clear their throat. She froze. Oh. She had forgotten about the people in the building. She looked out at the corner of her eye and saw Urahara at the front of a long table. Thirteen people, each with another person behind them, stood on either side of the table, leading up to an ancient looking man. All eyes were on her.

_Oh._

Karin let her arms drop and she coughed into her fist. Urahara smiled goofily behind his fan. "Ah, Tsume-chan, how _very_ nice of you to show up!"

Karin narrowed her eye at the man. His eyes were covered by his green and white striped hat, but she could tell his eyes held amusement.

"What are you implying?" Karin ignored the curious gazes of the other people in the room. "I was told that Yorouichi-sensei wanted me here midday."

Urahara started fanning himself. "But Tsume-chan, we were just in the _middle_ of the meeting!"

"Is that so?" Karin asked in a dangerously low voice, her face expressionless.

"Eh heh heh..."

"Urahara!" A deep baritone interrupted them.

Karin and Urahara turned toward the source of the new voice. The old man at the head of the table opened one eye, his hands clasped onto what looked like a knobby wooden cane. "Who is this?"

"Ah, this is Yōgan Tsume. She's here in the place of my co-taichou, since she's her first mate and apprentice. Indeed, our greatest masterpiece as you were able to see for yourselves! Heheh. A fine work of art in more ways than one."

Karin, already short-tempered by now, walked up behind him and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. She leaned slightly into his ear. "Urahara-san. Keep talking like that, and Yoruichi-sensei won't be the only one making sure you can't have babies."

A few of the people in the room snickered or coughed. Karin released Urahara's shoulder and he smirked behind his fan. She stepped back so she was slightly behind and beside him, clasped her hands behind her back, and stared forward with a half-lidded eye.

Urahara cleared his throat. "Anyways..."

Yuzu hummed as she chopped vegetables in the kitchen. whenever the crew docked at a port, they would buy new ingredients, and Yuzu would happily cook up a feast everyday they're at a town just to enjoy the scent and texture of the fresh food, not to mention that she absolutely loved to experiment with each and every new and exotic spice that they brought aboard.

The whole crew, Yoruichi-taichou, Urahara-taichou, and even the crew chef, Tessai-sensei encouraged her to use whatever she pleased when it came to cuisine. Yuzu was flattered. It was then that she knew that she was a good cook, and she created variaties of delectable dishes for the whole crew, working day and night, just to thank them for each and every experience. She was truly happy here, and she was overjoyed that her twin loves it here too. Even though Karin-chan never really expresses it, Yuzu knows her sister's happiness when she sees it.

Yuzu smiled as she dumped the vegetables she chopped into a bowl fill with water to keep them fresh until Yoruichi came back with meat. Beside her, Tessai worked just as adamantly, though compared to her, he was able to wield the kitchen utensils with ease from years of practice. He was also able to do everything at a faster pace. And when she said everything, she meant _everything. _From chopping to peeling to selecting proper ingredients to detecting what's missing from a dish by one sample taste alone.

Yuzu still had much to learn. Luckily she and Tessai had the same passion for the culinary arts. Even more fortunate was the fact that Tessai didn't mind teaching her his tricks of the trade, and they both enjoyed sharing their secret techniques for which seasonings to use on what, which vegetable tastes best with what meat.

_Thump!_

"Oi! Careful with those, or I'll castrate ya!"

Yuzu's smile grew wider when she heard Yoruichi-taichou's voice.

"Tessai-sensei! I'll be right back! I want to check on what we have this time," Yuzu said, smiling widely and bouncing in place in excitement.

Tessai's eyes twinkled behind his special eye-glasses and his mouth lifted into a smile. He nodded his consent to her and refocused his attention back to his chopping board.

Yuzu ran out of the kitchen to the storage room and up the stairs onto the deck. Once on top, she saw men, most likely hired hands, bringing up heavy crates and barrels and bulging burlap sacks onto the ship. Already, she could smell the herbs and spices in their containers due to her finely attuned nose of a cook. She spotted Yoruichi on the dock, directing and shouting orders at the men.

Yuzu made her way down the gangplank connecting the ship to the dock, taking care to give the loading men a wide berth, and went to her taichou.

"Yoruichi-taichou!" Yuzu called as she came onto the dock.

Yorouichi turned, saw her, and grinned. "Ah, Yuzu! Lovely day we're having, eh? You should-Hey! I told you to be careful with those, Bakaaaaa!"

Yuzu sweatdroped as Yoruichi went over to a young man and started bonking him on the head. As the man hurried away from her, Yoruichi turned back to Yuzu.

"These lads are so clumsy. Sorry if some of the goods are ruined."

Yuzu shook her head and smiled. "It's okay. I think that man learned his lesson anyway."

Yoruichi grinned back. "Aa. So what can I do for ya, lass?"

"Oh! I wanted to know what we got this time. "

"Well, the goods here are mostly the same as the other places we've been, but we do have different types of tea, and you'll be pleased to know that we also have your favorite fruit."

Yuzu gasped and clasped her hands together under her chin. "We have pears, taichou?"

"We have pears."

Yuzu squealed and clapped her hands. "Oh, I can't wait to tell Karin-chan! She'll be so happy!"

"Karin, eh?" Yoruichi tapped her chin. "That reminds me... Ah, the meeting! Did you tell Karin what I told you?"

Yuzu nodded. "Hai. I made sure to tell her that meeting starts in the afternoon."

"Good, good."

The brunette paused and blinked. "Yoruichi-taichou?"

"Hm?"

"Why did you want Karin-chan to come in at the middle of the meeting?"

Yoruichi grinned coyly. "You know how Karin gets into trouble everytime she sets foot on land?"

Yuzu nodded again. "She told me herself that she runs into groups of trouble-makers all the time, and on a few occassions, I've been with her when they happen."

"And what do you think will happen if she goes to the meeting after they've been there for a few boring hours?"

Yuzu looked at her taichou with wide, sparkling eyes, her mouth gaping. "She would look amazing! She would make a grand entrance! Oh, Karin-chan does look so lovely when she's in action!"

Yoruichi's grinned widened, showing her sharp canine teeth. "I wanted to show off what my apprentice could do."

Hitsugaya kept a wary eye on the newcomer. He had been doing so during the whole Captains' meeting. The raven haired maiden, however, kept on a disinterested expression on her face, never once losing her composer, never once looking anywhere other than forward. He couldn't help but take in small details of her. Her roughly cut hair that framed her face and twisted outward at the ends, the inky darkness contrasting drastically with the paleness of her porcelain-like skin. Her mouth was turned down in a perpetual frown. Somehow, she looked familiar.

Suddenly, a flash of fabric caught his eye. A familiar shade of green. His turquoise eyes zero'd in on the strip of fabric the girl had used to tie a red pouch to her belt. He could have sworn he had seen it before. Such a familiar shade. He raised his eyes, only to meet the stormy grey iris of Yogan Tsume. Her other eye was covered by a black handkerchief.

Hitsugaya met her disinterested expression with his own, cold and glinting. Unsurprisingly, she held his gaze, only averting them, albeit reluctantly, when the Soutaichou called the meeting over. The captains and first mates started walking toward the door.

"Yōgan Tsume." The Soutaichou's voice projected across the room. "Come here."

Hitsugaya watched as the raven haired maiden's sharp eye cut across the room, darting left and right, seeing the walkways blocks by people trying to get out. He saw the girl roll her eye.

Yōgan Tsume then placed a hand on the table, and jumped onto the surface, her other hand on the hilt of her sword, keeping it from colliding with the table. Hitsugaya's eyes widened. He could see the other captains had also been watching. Kenpachi grinned like a madman, not that he doesn't already on a daily basis, Soi Fon and Byakuya glared at the girl's unruly behavior, Unohana smiled pleasantly, Kyouraku and Jyuushiro's eyes were wide open, Kurosaki Isshin and Shinji smirked, Kensei's eyebrows were raised, Kurosaki Ichigo's mouth was wide open, and so on. Behind him, Hitsugaya heard his first mate, Matsumoto, gasp then squeal. Mostly likely because her admiration for the girl is growing by the second.

Hitsugaya watched as the girl silently and smoothly stood up to her full height. She walked forward. Her head was raised proudly, her expression nonchalant as ever. Her hips swayed gently, and her half-skirt only emphasized the movement, not that he was watching...

As Yōgan Tsume passed by him, he got a whiff of a fresh breeze and a hint of sweetness, a kind of sweetness that smelled familiar, and overall, the scent smelled pleasantly clean.

Hitsugaya scowled. Noticing his own foolishness. Women were just distractions. Distractions that weren't worth his time.

As the other captains stood in place, observing Urahara's crewmate in suspicion or curiosity, Hitsugaya closed his eyes and made his way toward the doorway, which was just a frame now, thanks to the scuffle that broke out because of that girl. Before he left the room, he opened his eyes and glanced back at the troublesome lass, just in time to see her get on one knee, still on the table, in front of the Soutaichou, and bow her head.

"Hn," was all Hitsugaya said before turning and disappearing out the door.

As he walked outside, irritated from the hot air of summer, Hitsugaya heard a squeal from behind him once again. He felt a vein pulse madly at his temple.

"Matsumoto. Why-"

"Taichou~~~~! " his first mate squealed.

Hitsugaya sighed. _Why is it always the squealing?_

"Did you see that girl? She was so interesting. I've never seen anyone like her! We should see if she'd like to join our crew!"

"Matsumoto, she already belongs to a crew. She's with Urahara and Shihoin. Plus, she can't just join our crew, she'd have to meet the Gotei 13 standards."

Matsumoto wagged her forefinger. "Taichou~! You know you can switch crews, and she pretty much already passed all the tests we had to go through back then. She's perfect!"

"I doubt that her loyalty is so easily swayed."

Matsumoto gave an open-mouth smile. "So you _do _want her to join your crew!"

Hitsugaya felt his eye twitch.

"Matsumoto."

"But you-"

"Matsumoto."

"But she-"

"Matsumoto!"

His first mate crossed her arms and huffed.

Hitsugaya let out a small, inaudible sigh. _Silence at last._

They walked like this for a few seconds, until he saw Matsumoto slyly slide her gaze over to him again. He narrowed his eyes at her.

"What now?"

Matsumoto grinned. "You have to admit, though. She was really sexy."

Hitsugaya clenched his teeth as he felt a vein pop out on his temple again.

"MATSUMOTO!"

His first mate simply laughed. He clenched his teeth and picked up his pace so that he took long strides, effortless thanks to his equally long legs. He was more comfortable with this speed, anyway. As soon as he was at his ship, he could take time to relax and get into his paperwork, which built up as soon as they docked at Seireitei. Behind him, he could hear his first mate rushing to keep up.

"Taichou~!" Matsumoto complained, "Don't go so fa-"

He heard her footsteps stop completely. He sighed and slowed down until he eventually came to a standstill as well. He turned to look back at her. She was staring avidly at something in front of her. He followed her line of sight. He felt his own eyes focus on the one figure in front of them.

Karin adjusted the burlap sacks that she had thrown over her shoulder. As she reached the exit of the store, she looked over her free shoulder at the old store owner and lifted her hand up in farewell.

"Arigatou, Jii-san."

The aged man behind the wooden counter smiled. "Sayonara. Come back any time. And give your sister my regards!"

Karin gave him a tiny smile and nodded, walking out the door and onto the still busy road. Karin groaned inwardly. The sun's heat was beating down relentlessly from its perch in the cloudless blue sky, and to add to her discomfort, the smell of hundreds of sweaty people and numerous varieties of animal fecies permeated the already humid air, making her want to retch.

Karin's upper lip started to curl up as a particularly pungent man passed by her, his smell wafting over her face. Oh yes. She was definitely taking a nice, long, cleansing bath in the sea after this. Karin moved out of the sun and into the shadows that linked to the buildings on her left. It was easier this way as the townfolk were more concentrated in the center of the road, and she was cooler, although not by very much. It didn't help that her hair was the rich color of a starless midnight sky. The dark locks only helped absorb the heat from the sun.

Karin sighed, but smiled as she thought of how excited Yuzu would be once she sees what she bought for her, not that it was uncommon for Karin to spoil her sister with fabrics and trinkets that she knows will please her brown-haired twin.

_It'll all be worth it. _Karin thought, now in a lighter mood than before.

Nevertheless, she was still impatient to get back to the ship, Benihime, as Urahara had named it. She anticipated going for a swim. Town was such a dirty place. She would need a thorough washing. She shuddered just imagining what was possibly on the pads of her boots right now. No matter. She will clean them later.

Karin's musings were abrubtly halted when she felt a tug on her coin purse. She let her eyelids drop halfway to form a cold stare as she whirled around and grabbed the wrist of the thief, never letting her bags drop from her shoulders. She made to shoot a deathly glare at whoever dared touch any of her belongings when she saw who had done the act. A little dark-brown haired boy, of whom she held the wrist of, dressed in raggedy clothings that didn't quite cover up his prominent ribs, trembled under her gaze.

Karin's eyes softened as she kneeled before the boy, still holding onto his wrist. Without breaking eye contact, she lowered her bags onto the road, reached into one, pulled out what she was looking for. She turned the boy's arm so his palm faced up and placed a loaf of bread in his hand as well as a bag of candy. She looked at him with a kind eye.

"I can tell you're hungry, and I don't blame you for wanting, for needing to steal from others in order to survive. I understand."

The boy looked up at Karin with wide, unblinking eyes. "You not gonna hit me, lady?"

The raven-haired lass frowned slightly. "Of course not."

She then reached into her red, velvet coin pouch and pulled out three gold coins. She pressed them into the boy's other palm.

"These will provide for you for a long time, so spend your money wisely and spare your food okay?"

The boy nodded, dumbfounded.

Karin's expression then hardened as she grasped the boy's shoulder gently but firmly. "But if anyone ever bothers you or mistreats you, tell them that you are under Yogan Tsume's protection. If they even so much as touch a hair on your head, I will find them, whoever they are, wherever they are, I will make them pay. Okay?"

The boy's widened even further, if that was even possible, and he nodded again slowly. "Uh huh."

Karin's eyes softened again and she ruffled the boy's hair. She reassembled all her bags again, threw them over her shoulder, and stood up. She walked again in the direction of Benihime. She raised her unoccupied hand in farewell. Unbeknownst to her, the little brown-haired boy stared after her retreating form. His forlorn expression looked torn between the raven-haired lass and the goods in his hands. He looked at the lass, then back at the contents in his hands. He looked up at the girl, then back to his hands. He looked up, alarmed when he could barely see her figure in the crowd. He looked back at his hands. His expression twisted as tears rolled down his chubby cheeks, and he threw what he had to the ground and ran to the one who had shown him the most kindness in his young life.

Karin's eyes widened when she felt a tug at her belt from behind. She turned around and saw the same brown-haired boy from before. He was crying. She looked at him, confused, wondering if anyone had wronged him already, when she noticed that he didn't let go of her belt. Suddenly, realization dawned on her, and she shook her head, amused.

"Where's the stuff I gave you? You didn't eat it all already did you? Ah, I can hear those coins jingling in your stomach right now." Karin teased.

The boy wiped his eyes and grinned. "I di'in want 'em anyways."

Karin's lip twitched. "Well then, come along. We can get you food back at the ship. My sister loves to feed a lot of people, and I have a feeling you'll make a fine sailor. Come along."

She walked a few steps, hearing the boy's footsteps catch up to hers, as she knew they would. However, she was surprised when she felt something slip into her free hand. She looked down at it and saw another hand, small and dirty, holding onto it, belonging to none other than the little brown-haired boy. She smiled, and enclosed his hand securely with her own.

"By the way, what's your name, lad?"

The boy looked up at her with shining eyes.

"M'name's Kon."

Toushirou stared at the Yōgan Tsume and the little boy's retreating backs. He heard a strange sound come from behind him and turned just in time to see his first mate jump at him and wrap her arms around his shoulders, as she couldn't reach his head anymore, and glomped him as she sobbed.

"Taichou~~~!"

Toushirou's eye twitched as he felt her tears make his shirt sticky with dampness. And to make things worse, a breeze picked up so that his first mate's hair whipped at his face.

"Matsumoto. Get-"

"Taichou, that was so touching! So kawaii! Taichou, she really is perfect! Go after her! Tell her to join our crew already! Don't let her go~~~!"

Toushirou rolled his eyes.

**Ne, ne, how was it?  
**

**Did you like it?**

**Did you love it?**

**...Do you want to marry it? Sorry if that's the case, I have to make sure you're a good suitor 'cause this fanfic is very picky.**

**BUT! Before you ask questions, I'll tell you some information you'd appreciate.**

**1) I am a very selfish author. I don't share. You steal my idea, my zanpakutou slices your soul in half and sends you to Soul Society or the Nether. Or you just become a hollow. I wouldn't care either way.**

**2) Yōgan Tsume is what I decided to be Karin's zanpakutou in my other fanfic idea. ( Yes, I am currently working on making another fanfic for HitsuKarin. ) Yōgan Tsume means Lava Claw. ( By the way, I'll be royally pissed and absolutely murderous-I MEAN UPSET-if I find another person going like "Yeah yeah Yogan Tsume's Karin's zanpakutou in my fanfic yeah." Omfg. I'd just say "Eff off! First of all, you don't even have the proper frickin' ō, then you go mock me by not crediting me for the name ( Which no one has come up with. How would you feel if you have a perfect name that describes you, or a character that you make or w/e, and someone just takes that and URGHH. -Strangles a pillow- )  
**

**3) I named Karin's zanpakutou, Yōgan Tsume because Hyourinmaru means Ice Ring. Ice Ring and Lava Claw. Suitable, no? I'll tell you the backstory to the choice of element some time in my other fanfic...you're frickin' welcome.**

**4) I sincerely apologize for being like: -Points a gun at your face- "You mess with my fanfic I kill you! I kill youuu!" Yeah. Normally I'm not like that. I think I'm just irritable due to the heat and the humidity. I hate hot weather with all my nonexistent heart. -Just kiddin' there...maybe. Anyway, if it's not the heat that's causing me to be like this, it's probably just me being bipolar. Pfft. It's not just me being not-so-sane right now.. -Twitch-**

**5) I named that little boy Kon because I figured like you wouldn't like having an OC play a common role in the story, so I thought you'd appreciate it if I gave you a little familiarity with the boy. **

**6) There will be less talking from me in the actual story ( Thank goodness. -Hears everyone breath out a sigh in relief- )**

**Don't forget to R&R -By the way, I don't actually know what that means, but I think everyone that's reading this will know, so I'll just put that there.**

**Hope you enjoyed.**

**The story that is.**


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